Project 1675 All Red Hand Complete!

[hanski]

After several months of obtaining parts, building, rebuilding, learning how to work on watches, and then rebuilding again I've completed (for now) my 1675 All Red Hand GMT Master.  

The specs are as follows: 

- Cartel Case, Crown, Open 6/9 Date Wheel, and Jubilee Bracelet (thank you Mary)

- Vietnam Dial (thank you Ruby) 

- Raffles Time Hand Set (including All Red GMT Hand) 

- Raffles Time Flat Case Back

- Clark's 25-116 Crystal

- Watchman Bezel Assembly and Insert

- DG3804B (from Esslinger)

I relumed both the hand set and dial to match - opting to use a light vintage tone but working lume. It's not "gen vintage" but I want the watch to glow in the dark. Insert has been lightly aged and bleached to a light royal blue and near magenta red. Case has been reshaped to narrow the body as it transitions into the crown guards, crown guards squared off, deep chamfer added to the top edges, tumbled in a bucket of screws, and completely repolished. Bezel has been completely repolished as well. Retaining ring has been machined to allow full function of the friction bezel. Everything is friction/compression fitted together. Gaskets all there and siliconed. Bracelet as been minimally aged and repolished. 

The build was inspired by a 1970 1675 All Red Hand I stumbled upon on Bulang and Sons. I purchased a non-gilted dial which as I understand it precludes the El Cornino CG's as they were paired together in the 60's. Since I was a matte dial I had to look to 70's era 1675's. For fun, I wanted to include the all red GMT hand so this lead to an early 70's inspired build. While I didn't do so far as to add mass/metal to the CG's to get them taller like a gen nor did I change out the crown, I think it's a pretty nice homage to that era of watch. 

Maybe once I've enjoyed it on my wrist for a while I will take a look in to swapping out the crown for something better then a stock Cartel. Until then, enjoy some pictures! 

Thanks for looking! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SUK]

An incredible work!


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[hanski]

I know, I know, I titled this post “project complete”. But a few things were irking me and my OCD. After wearing it around I noticed the CG’s and bezel could be improved. So I disassembled and reworked the case, this time much more aggressively around the CG’s. Now they are more pronounced and slope upwards from the case back. 

I also took the bezel and milled a chamfer at the base where it meets the case. Previously the stock Watchman bezel comes straight down - no shadow line between case and bezel. I could probably go a little more with it but even what I did do helped tremendously. 

Here are some updates pics. 

[hanski]

So I like to stop in to Rolex stores sporting my reps, just to test the waters. Last week the AD said, “What do you have on there?” I explain it’s a 1675 - he’s impressed. But it isn’t until I take it off and lay it on the counter to try on a Milgauss that he can’t stop glancing/eyeing it. Eventually he says to me, “I wonder if that’s the original bezel.” 

 

So with that, I dug into researching and reworking my bezel. A few things I’ve noticed: 

 

- The insert sits proud of the bezel. You should be able to see some of the side edge 

- There is only a thin edge of grooves that are oriented slightly upwards

- From the grooves to the retaining ring, the bezel sharply cuts back in

- The bezel should appear thin and flat

 

I won’t say this is the rule but simply what I’ve noticed after studying a number of macros on VRF. 

 

So I took to my WSO bezel made three distinct cuts: 

 

- I machined the top down at 10 degrees until enough insert showed to make it obvious it was proud of the bezel

- I machined the outer edge at 10 degrees, sloping upwards so it was not perpendicular to the case

- I machined the bottom pretty aggressively at 45 degrees to give it a strong under cut and thin things out

 

I think the result is rather nice and a vast improvement on the previous iterations of the bezel. 

 

Oh, and this post is a good excuse to point out the gen 6251 folded link jubilee bracelet. Really enjoy this bracelet over the Cartel jubilee I previously had on there. 

 

Thanks for looking! 

https://i.imgur.com/iszIFw0.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ncDHquC.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/02GhOfC.jpg

[capice]

looking great, well done!!

[alligoat]

The watch looks nice, but I must mention one thing. Please don't go into Rolex stores showing off your watch- that is one of the caveats on all of the rep forums. The ADs probably aren't going to do anything, but we don't want to call unneeded attention to our hobby. Your first bezel wasn't correct and it was noticed by the AD. I also don't think the insert should be above the bezel- the insert is supposed to snap into the bezel- that's the way it was designed to fit by Rolex. When it sits above the bezel, that means it's been glued in there and everyone  who knows anything about Rolexes knows that's wrong.  

[hanski]

8 hours ago, alligoat said:

The watch looks nice, but I must mention one thing. Please don't go into Rolex stores showing off your watch- that is one of the caveats on all of the rep forums. The ADs probably aren't going to do anything, but we don't want to call unneeded attention to our hobby. Your first bezel wasn't correct and it was noticed by the AD. I also don't think the insert should be above the bezel- the insert is supposed to snap into the bezel- that's the way it was designed to fit by Rolex. When it sits above the bezel, that means it's been glued in there and everyone  who knows anything about Rolexes knows that's wrong.  

Oh! Yikes! My bad! Didn’t realize that was a rule. Next time, I won’t bring up RWG, show him the site on my phone, and brag about my rep....kidding! 

The first rule of the forum, I don’t talk about the forum. 

As to the bezel/insert - the insert is actually snapped in presently. It was a bear of a fit but it’s in and not coming out to easily. It makes sense if you think about it - if the insert has a slight taper out, creating a wider bottom edge and the bezel tapers inward - you would click in based on the bottom of the insert, not the top. That and from what I’ve observed on VRF, a number of them sit proud. Just one example: 

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/vintagerolexforum/viewtopic.php?f=207673&t=245169&p=551125&hilit=1675#p551125

Of course I don’t own a genuine 1675 so I’m solely speculating based on images and working on reps - so take it with a grain of salt. 

[hanski]

Updates! 

I’ve made a few small tweaks to the watch - slimmed the case, installed a Sellita SW330-1, and a Gen 6251 bracelet. 

 

I used an old, small Baleigh type industrial large to machine .7mm off the back of the case. This then necessitated re-cutting the gasket groove. Overall it was pretty successful. The chuck isn’t great and left some marks on the outside of the rehaute and the bit available bevels the gasket groove. Both aren’t major issues but I know they could be better. Also got a nick in the case when the chuck released the case mid-lathing. It’s under the case back but annoying nonetheless. Overall this brought the overall height down to 13.45mm. Not sure if the pictures do it justice but it wears much slimmer on the wrist now. 

Installing the movement was easy enough - got it with the higher hand height and used epoxy to space the dial and DWO. 

Overall I’m pleased with the watch. With the bracelet and all the rework, it wears like a vintage watch and pays a good homage to the original. 

Enjoy the updated pictures. Thanks! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nanuq]

Fantastic result. Well done!

[hanski]

On 9/11/2018 at 1:21 PM, Nanuq said:

Fantastic result. Well done!

Thank you! Appreciate the compliment!!! 

[hanski]

Updates: 

- CG’s: Laser welded then reshaped, cnc’d, and repolished by me. See my other post for details  

- Crown: 5320 tube installed and gen 530 crown attached. 

- Insert: Decided to try on a gen black Insert. Let me know what you think (unless it’s to say it’s not gen, in which case let me live in the sweet, expensive bliss of pretending it is, and say nothing). 

Enjoy some pics! 

 

[Nanuq]

Ahhhhhh now we're getting somewhere. Those CGs are much much better. I'd like to see a pic from the 3:00 side to see how the small crown fills its opening. And did you change the bezel? Its profile looks much better.

[rower]

I’m really taken with the black insert! I’ve come back 3-4 times to look at it again. The all red gmt hand hi the the all red hand really makes this one pop!

[hanski]

7 hours ago, Nanuq said:

Ahhhhhh now we're getting somewhere. Those CGs are much much better. I'd like to see a pic from the 3:00 side to see how the small crown fills its opening. And did you change the bezel? Its profile looks much better.

Same reshaped WSO bezel just repolished. 

I messed up on the opening for the crown. After posting the question to ask the opening width on someone’s gen or VN case but no response I guessed .25mm on either side would work. But somewhere along the way I must have converted the imperial end mill bit to metric wrong and it’s more like .75mm. When I have some time I’m going to get a touch up laser welding and recut the crown opening a bit tighter. 

https://rwg.cc/topic/192899-expensive-1675-experiment-in-laser-welding-cg’s/

For now I live with it but it’s slowly gnawing away at my soul. 

[panerai153]

That’s a right nice build!! You identified and partially rectified the biggest tell with 1675/16750 rep watch builds. That is of course the crown opening. The only way to make this build look like a gen is to do what you did and laser weld the crown guards, add some meat inside and then reshape. Most folks either use a 7mm crown or stick a 5.3 mm crown on and the spaces between the crown and the CG’s are huge, and and instant tell from 10 paces!! I may be more aware as I have a gen 16750 and the 5.3mm crown and the CG’s are proportional.
Here is my gen 16750



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[By-Tor]

Yes the cgs are always the biggest tell. This can be spotted as a rep instantly and I'm not even an expert on 1675. But only because of the cgs.

 

Other than that it's a beautiful build.

 

[hanski]

On 11/3/2018 at 11:32 AM, Nanuq said:

Ahhhhhh now we're getting somewhere. Those CGs are much much better. I'd like to see a pic from the 3:00 side to see how the small crown fills its opening. And did you change the bezel? Its profile looks much better.

Here’s a few updates shots - I couldn’t live with the CG’s being slightly assymetric and with too large a cut out. I had more material welded on and redid the work. 

Happy to have it reassembled and going back on my wrist. This is by far my favorite watch. 

 

 

[elprimerozen]

Awesome work mate!

 

[Nightwatch]

That´s a beautiful GMT You´ve built there. Wear it well.